The Santa Cruz Sentinel reports that more than 100 local businesses closed their doors and cut back on their workforce in response to the coronavirus crisis.
That’s according to a survey conducted by the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce between March 19th and 25th. The results were released last Friday.
Some 249 companies responded to the anonymous survey. Most are small businesses, with 10 or fewer employees. About a fifth are retail businesses, including restaurants, followed by businesses in the health care and beauty industries.
The survey found more than half the businesses closed their doors. Nearly 70% reduced employee hours, and 132 of the 249 reported laying off or furloughing employees.
